1956: A Whirlwind Trip Around the World

Based on the novel of the same name by Jules Verne, Around the World in 80 Days opened in theaters on this day in 1956. With a screenplay written by James Poe, John Farrow and S. J. Perelman, the movie was directed by Michael Anderson and starred David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley MacLaine and Robert Newton. The film featured numerous cameos including Cesar Romero, Charles Coburn, Peter Lorre, Red Skelton, Frank Sinatra, Buster Keaton and Glynis Johns. Production of the movie included just 75 days of filming using 680,000 feet of film that was edited down to 25,734. Filming took place in England, France, India, Spain, Thailand and Japan. The cast included 68,894 people wears 74,685 costumes and 36,092 trinkets. 7,959 animals were featured in the film as well. The movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won five including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Music and Best Writing. Disney created a remake of the film in 2004 that starred Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan and Cecile de France and also included a slew of cameos. Unfortunately, the second film wasn’t able to capture the favorable reviews that the original did.